


Rogue Galaxy 2

by WrestleCrazyGamer



Category: Rogue Galaxy
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Gen, In Same Universe, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-27 14:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19014694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrestleCrazyGamer/pseuds/WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: Maria was just a girl living out her life when the space pirate crew of Athena Drake come to the planet looking for the next bearer of the demon sword "Grimwald". When she learns that it's her bloodline it's attached to she finds herself tangled in the weave of a much more significant story that was unfolding just beyond her atmosphere.*Seriously, how is there so little fanfiction for this game? Guess it's up to me to write something.*





	Rogue Galaxy 2

The Bahrx Galaxy is known for its abnormal planetary alignment around the sun. No one knows the reason for it. The sun also has a large ring of debris around it known as the Sun God’s Blade, as no ship that’s tried to fly through has come out… save for one, according to space pirate legend. A ship by the name of “The Screaming Gale”, captained by the legendary Athena Drake otherwise known as “The Undying Woman”, has been there and back in one piece. She performed what’s known as the  _ Greatest Heist in the Universe _ where she stole all of the riches and relics of every world in three galaxies and got away with it. The rumor is that she hid the mass of treasures inside of the Sun God’s Blade, where no one would be able to get to it.

“That’s your big scoop, Sal? That’s common knowledge.”

Birds chirped as a teenage girl with long messy brown hair put in a ponytail dressed in a red long-sleeved shirt and blue overalls lay in the grass by a younger girl with bobbed green hair and canine-esque legs. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon on the lush planet of Quora IV with its red grass like silk and naturally carbonated water. There were clear skies making sunbathing very comfortable.

“Oh yeah? You try finding something cool to talk about, Maria.” the girl with canine legs huffed sitting up.

“Easy. It’s common knowledge that Athena Drake was a notorious heavy drinker, and loved to bet on drinking contests always offering a night with her body if she lost. She always wins… except for one time on this very planet. She challenged the hometown hero Moe Alexander to a contest when he tried to claim he’d take her in. Moe himself was notorious for being able to hold his alcohol and called for the strongest stuff the bar had at the time… Hell Wyrm Brandy, stuff that’ll knock even veterans flat with just a shot if you’re not ready.” Maria began to tell her.

“She lost?” Sal asked curiously.

“She lost consciousness after her fourth shot. Moe, on the other hand, finished the bottle like a legend just to show off. They say that he did more than just take her in, but he took advantage of her giving her body to him for a night. A rumor says she conceived from that encounter, and there’s secretly an heir to her treasure out there.” Maria continued the story.

“That last part feels made up.” Sal huffed.

“Well that’s all a rumor is, something that may or may not be true. We wouldn’t know if it were true or not unless we got the chance to ask the space pirate herself. Of course she’s retired now and nobody knows where she settled down.” Maria laughed.

The girls continued to talk until sunset before returning to their home, Alexander Town. In this quaint little countryside town evening is only the beginning of the festivities. Game shops for adults and kids alike open at this time of day. Maria and Sal’s favorite hangout was the Bomb Bowling Alley, where the objective is to try and blow apart as many Self-Repairing Walls as you can before time is up. When it was really late the two friends parted ways returning to their homes.

Not far from town a dreadnought sized ship descended silently. A man bearing long braided black hair and a beard dressed in dark brown boots, black pants, a dark brown utility belt including a holstered handgun, a red blouse, a black vest on top, and black gloves then leapt down from the deck with a greatsword on his back. Following him was a red blob with a dimly glowing antenna that splattered on the ground before jumping up to take on the shape of a voluptuous woman with long hair.

“You’re sure they’re here?” the man called back up to the deck.

The response from whoever was up there was an object in a burlap cloth being tossed down landing on the slime getting stuck halfway inside of her. The man let out a sigh shaking his head as she pulled it out of her.

“I guess that means we aren’t coming back empty handed.” the slime shrugged.

“I still say it’s the planet next to this one that gave the stronger reading.” the man complained as he began walking toward town.

“The captain is only stubborn when she’s right.” the slime shrugged following him.

Morning came and Maria went outside to find a commotion. She walked to the crowd circle to find Sal standing there still in her pink pajamas.  When Maria looked into the center she got starstruck seeing the man and slime. Stuck in the ground before them was a large sword bearing a black blade with a pure white edge, a skull guard with scythe-like wings to protect the hand of the wielder, a crimson handle bearing white grip tape, and an ornately designed gold and black pommel bearing a red crystal eye in the center.

“You’re sure this is how we should do it?” the slime asked her partner.

“No faster way than this. Come one and all; man, woman, and child, feel free to give it a pull.” the man answered while gesturing more people to try and pull the sword from the ground.

“You okay, Maria?” Sal asked her.

“Do you know who those two are?! They’re Dunban the Sword Dancer and Mimeo the Shapeless! Actual crewmembers of Athena Drake, in the flesh!” Maria squealed with excitement.

“Looks like we’ve got a fan in the audience.” Mimeo giggled.

“Hi there young lady. We’re here to find the wielder of this sword, Grimwald. Please, feel free to give it a try.” Dunban smiled at her gesturing to the sword.

“Grimwald? You mean the  _ Demon Sword _ Grimwald?! They said it was lost in the wreckage of  _ The Monarch _ !” Maria gasped.

“Looks like someone’s done her homework. Indeed it is  _ that _ Grimwald, and it took ages to find it in that wreck.” Mimeo nodded.

“If by ages you mean an hour.” Dunban sighed rolling his eyes.

“Did you already try, Sal?” Maria asked her.

“Yeah. Didn’t budge an inch.” Sal nodded.

“I guess I’ll give it a try too.” Maria smiled walking up to the sword.

When she went to reach for it a sudden powerful sensation of dread came over her. It was like the eyes of the guard were staring expectantly at her. Knots were forming in her stomach as she tried to make herself reach for it. Did everyone experience this intense situation? Maria’s heart felt like exploding from how hard it was pumping. In desperation she bit her tongue to make herself grab it and give it a hard yank… and everything went black.

When she opened her eyes her entire body felt like lead. She wasn’t staring at the roof of a house though. Maria mustered the strength to sit up and look around finding herself in a cell, even if the bed was fancier than most prisoners would have. Leaning against the foot of the bed was Grimwald, but the blade had a tint of red to it now and the guard had a strange metal octagon with a green gemstone in the center over it. Dunban then entered the cell with his left arm in a sling and bandages over his right eye.

“Look who’s awake.” Dunban smirked.

“Mr. Dunban… you’re hurt…” Maria pointed out weakly.

“Who do you think did this to me,  _ Demon Swordswoman _ ?” Dunban laughed.

“It shows how powerful Grimwald’s unleashed power is. The madness was way too much for her to contain. I was surprised by her sheer strength when I had to step in.” a woman’s voice spoke.

Maria’s jaw dropped at the woman who entered. She had fair skin, crimson eyes, and very long blue hair. She was dressed in black boots, tight red pants, a black pirate waist sash with gold accessories on it, a black blouse with a long V showing her cleavage and a scar down the middle, a black pirate captain’s overcoat, and a captain’s hat with a feather for each primary color stuck in the brim. At her side was a long saber with an ornately crafted golden guard and black handle kept in place by an emerald pommel stuck in a black scabbard. To Maria there was no question who this woman was… Athena Drake, in the flesh. 

“Athena Drake the Undying…” was all Maria could get out making the woman laugh a bit.

“So Dunban and Mimeo weren’t tooting their horns when they said you were a fan. A lot of the new blood in today’s age try to discredit my greatest achievement yet, so any fans are welcome.” Athena smiled.

“Wait… what happened…?” Maria asked them.

“You pulled Grimwald from the ground and transformed into a demon going on a rampage. Luckily no one was hurt but it certainly made some people afraid of you.” Dunban explained.

“If Captain Drake is here… then…” Maria gasped.

“Just now realize it? You’re aboard  _ The Screaming Gale _ .” Dunban laughed.

“Now that you’re a demon swordswoman you’re part of the crew. Once you’re feeling up to it get dressed in the clothes in that dresser and come out on deck. Follow the map on each floor if you get lost.” Athena ordered before taking her leave with Dunban.

That was when Maria noticed that her clothes were in rags. With no choice she mustered the strength to get up and open the dresser drawers. After changing she was now wearing brown adventuring boots with greaves attached to protect her shins, black pants that were a size too big indicating they’re meant for men, a leather belt to keep the pants up, a tight-fitting white short sleeve shirt, and a black bandanna to hold her bangs back. She lifted Grimwald and it felt light as a feather. She clipped it to her back and and sluggishly made her way up to the deck where many pirates of different races were mingling. It was obvious they weren’t on Quora IV anymore.

“Ah, you’re up!” Mimeo’s voice called to her as the slime herself dove from the crow’s nest splattering on the ground before reforming again.

“Ms. Mimeo…” Maria gasped.

“Oh just Mimeo is fine, we’re crewmates now after all. Captain Drake has put me in charge of backing you up on ground missions.” Mimeo smiled.

“I get to work with a legend… wow…” Maria beamed.

“Oh stop…” Mimeo giggled.

“Demon Kid, to the prow! Cap’n is waiting for ya!” one of the bulky crewmen barked.

“We’ll talk later.” Mimeo smiled.

Maria hurried to where Athena was waiting to find her sitting on the outside of the railing. There was an elegant air around her.

“Do you know who forged the Demon Swords?” Athena asked her.

“Each was made by a different smith, but they were all helped by someone known as the Queen of the Stars.” Maria answered.

“That’s just what the public is allowed to think. The Intergalactic Government is trying to control information and paint us space pirates as even worse criminals than we actually are. Even went as far as spreading a rumor I retired once I laid low to cool the heat on us. The real origin was hidden by their influence. Few galaxies are still free of their treacherous plan, and those that aren’t have bounties out for space pirates.” Athena explained to her.

“So, what are we doing about it?” Maria questioned.

“A few friends of mine are helping me hatch a plan to take them down at the root. To succeed we need to gather the Demon Swordsmen scattered across the seven galaxies surrounding this one.” Athen answered vaulting backward back onto the deck landing elegantly on her feet.

“So all of this was happening beyond the stars…” Maria smiled looking at the space sky.

“By the way, it’s not a coincidence that you were able to draw Grimwald from the ground. The Demon Swords are all bound to a single bloodline, passing from one member of the family to another. They can only choose a new master when the last of that bloodline has been snuffed out. In other words anyone could have drawn it if the wielder’s bloodline was wiped out. Only you could pull Grimwald out when Dunban stuck it in the ground, meaning you’re related by blood to one Delphinus Moonscar the infamous bounty hunter.” Athena mentioned with a smile.

“Well I guess that explains why dad refused to tell me about my mom’s side of the family. I only ever met dad’s side and they’ve always lived on Quora IV.” Maria nodded.

“Delphinus is still alive if you want to go meet her. The reason we sought out her blood family is because she’s completely useless to us now. Taking her ship into the Sun God’s Blade was a stupid idea and she paid for it with her legs.” Athena offered.

“So, as long as they’re direct family they can use it?” Maria questioned.

“You’re getting the picture.” Athena smirked.

Their conversation was interrupted by Dunban approaching. He looked to be agitated for some reason.

“Boss, the heart to heart is nice and all, but aren’t you forgetting the main reason you called her on deck?” Dunban lectured Athena.

“It’ll be some time before we’re at the Galaxy Jump Point, Dunban, so I can tell her at my leisure.” Athena grinned purposely patting Dunban’s bad arm making him grunt in pain.

“Tell me what?” Maria questioned.

“You’re new so you might think that you’re just a cabin girl, right? Wrong. You’re a Demon Swordswoman, making you integral to my plan. You’re vice captain on this ship, meaning that if something happens to me then command is yours.” Athena replied.

“That’s a lot of responsibility…” Maria laughed nervously.

“Normally I’d have Dunban teach you swordsmanship, but as he’s injured that duty now falls to me. I won’t be going easy on you just because you’re a beginner.” Athena grinned.

Maria was given the rest of the day to relax and see more of the ship. The Screaming Gale truly did have everything told of in the legends. It had a swimming pool, a bowling alley, a full course gym, a sauna, an in-house casino, a bar with the galaxy’s finest drinks including ones for people who avoid alcohol, a kitchen run by the renowned six-armed chef Bonbon Flare, and so much more. The only place blocked off for her was the vault in the center of the ship. On her way back to the deck she bumped into Mimeo.

“Oh, there you are. The helmsman said we’ll be at the jump point soon so I wanted you to be prepared for the turbulence.” Mimeo smiled.

“I heard the captain mention a Galaxy Jump Point earlier… just what is that? I’ve heard of Planet Jump Points, but never a Galaxy Jump Point.” Maria asked her.

“Oh they’re very rare. Only the most advanced galaxies have them set up. It lets ships equipped with a Quantum Jumper go to Warp 5 leaping between galaxies in minutes. Of course, ours is modified to go to Warp 8. So understandably we had to upgrade the ship to handle the strain.” Mimeo explained.

All of a sudden an alarm began going off and Mimeo pulled Maria by the hand to the bridge. Athena was sitting in a luxurious captain’s chair with Dunban beside her. At the helm of the ship was a large three-fingered mech without a head instead having a monitor in the chest. 

“All accounted for? Judy, commence jump.” Athena ordered.

“Aye-aye, captain.” the mech spoke in a surprisingly girly voice.

Maria left her feet when the ship suddenly accelerated making Mimeo catch her. The view window became distorted by rainbow lights. Maria couldn’t move an inch. The view eventually began to normalize and Mimeo partially enveloped Maria when the ship suddenly exited warp to prevent her from flying forward. Maria couldn’t stand up for a few minutes due to it being her first time experiencing g’s of that magnitude.

“First long distance warp?” Mimeo giggled.

“Yeah…” Maria chuckled.

“Be glad you didn’t lose your lunch. That’s the norm for most people.” Dunban smirked.

“Kitchen, send up four sundaes. You know how I like mine.” Athena ordered into a speaker.

“On their way, captain.” a voice replied.

A hidden door on the left side of the bridge then opened and a young man with long braided blond hair dressed like a waiter pushed a pastry cart out. Maria was absolutely flabbergasted that there was a hidden elevator like that. The young man pulled the lid off a tray and four gorgeously decorated sundaes were on a platter, though one stuck out like a sore thumb almost completely drowned in fudge and strawberry syrup. He then handed that one to Athena who dug in quickly letting out a very pleased moan with a big grin blushing.

“The perfect amount of fudge and syrup…” Athena giggled.

“The captain’s sweet tooth is only matched by her iron gut.” Mimeo mentioned to Maria.

“Maria, this is Luke Rogue. He’s our ship’s pastry chef. If anyone can make your wildest sweets fantasy come true it’s him.” Athena introduced him.

“Rogue? Are you related to  _ that _ Rogue by chance?” Maria asked him.

“Famous even when I’m galaxies away from home I see. Oh, please, eat it before it melts.” Luke chuckled as he handed her a sundae.

“Scooped him up the minute I tasted his signature Rising Moon Souffle on Zerard. He hoped to get away from being swarmed just for his last name so he happily accepted the position.” Athena explained to her.

“His boss wasn’t too happy that his ‘moneymaker’ up and left though. You’d be surprised how much people will pay just to see the only son to the famed ‘Jaster Rogue’. He’s a valuable crew member here, and a hell of a fighter when needed.” Dunban smiled.

“This is really good! Well then again I’ve never had a sundae before, but I’m more than sure it’s good.” Maria smiled.

“You’ve never had a sundae…?” Luke questioned raising an eyebrow.

“My homeworld doesn’t get fancy imports like that. They bring what the world leaders ask and that’s pretty much it.” Maria explained to him.

“Planet Archibold is in range for a Low-Fuel Jump. Should we reserve a fuel depot ahead of time, captain?” Judy asked.

“We’re low again? I could have sworn that we just fueled up before our last Galaxy Jump. Fine, don’t want to be dead in space like in the Romar System…” Athena sighed.

“That was a long two weeks.” Dunban grimaced trying not to think about it.

Maria held onto Mimeo again as the ship made a jump to the orbit of a planet heavily resembling Earth’s atmosphere. Once through reentry the city they were coming to was built over the ocean with a landmass nearby. The ship slowly came into a spaceport and docked. There was a much bigger species diversity on this world that was startling to Maria.

“Maria, Mimeo, you’re with me. Dunban, Judy, you’re both on shopping duty. Luke, make sure they fill both the main and reserve tanks. I want a full ship, get me?” Athena ordered.

“Aye-aye!” the crew saluted.

Maria and Mimeo followed Athena off the ship and immediately everyone was afraid of them. Athena’s reputation was rock solid as a woman who did not like being angered. They got outside the spaceport and a commotion had evidently sprung up in the plaza. Apparently an idol had appeared in public. At the center was a girl maybe a few years younger than Maria with very long blue hair. She was dressed in white boots with red stockings, black shorts with a white studded belt, a black bikini top with “Devil” written in red on the left half, a black unzipped vest with “Devil Ares” on the upper back in red writing, and white fingerless gloves. 

“Come on, I’ve gotta get to the spaceport…” she whined despite her flattered smile.

“Oh dear, daughter in distress.” Mimeo giggled.

“Daughter?” Maria questioned.

“Hey! How about letting her breathe ya damn maggots?!” Athena roared making the horde of fans panic and clear a large path.

“So the captain really did have the hero’s baby after losing a drinking contest?” Maria whispered to Mimeo.

“That’s not how it went down at all. Mr. Alexander was already drinking and making merry when we arrived. We were partying as two separate parties until both got very drunk… and then the Hell Wyrm Brandy was broken out between ‘new friends’. The amount of shots that led up to the captain getting pregnant was the same, but it happened like this: he said ‘I’m going to knock you up’, to which she retorted ‘you don’t got the balls ya pansy’. Nine months later the captain gives birth to her beloved daughter, Ares.” Mimeo explained as the girl ran up to Athena latching onto her.

“Mom! I wanted to meet you at the Screaming Gale but I got held up…” Ares told her with a teary-eyed smile on her face.

“Come on I know I was gone a while, but don’t cry. Did you just come from a show? You’re still in costume.” Athena asked her.

“I skipped out on the after party when I saw the Screaming Gale coming into orbit.” she smiled.

“Is Ares a big deal here?” Maria asked her.

“You really are sheltered, huh? Ares works as a wrestling idol, the youngest today at just fourteen. Sure it’s a work but she’s got athleticism paired with a voice that lots of the girls in her age group wished they had. That, and to a degree her heritage, have both played a big part in her popularity. She’s on track to be the youngest Idol Wrestling Champion in history from what I’ve heard.” Mimeo explained to her.

“She sings?” Maria questioned.

“Wow, so you found Grimwald’s wielder…” Ares’s voice spoke by Maria’s ear alerting her to the girl right in front of her face making her jump back.

“She also has a little trouble with personal space.” Mimeo giggled.

“Wow, she’s about my age. Delphinus had a relative this young huh? What planet are you from? How much older than me are you? What’s your favorite food? Can you show me your demon form?” Ares bombarded Maria making her eyes swirl.

“Calm down, Ares. She’s got a long while to go before she can unleash her demon form.” Athena laughed pulling her back in a playful headlock.

Ares took the group back to her studio apartment, which amazed Maria. There were all kinds of event posters and various pirate merchandise set up. On the mantle was a picture of Athena and a black-haired man holding Ares when she was an infant.

“So how has it been since we visited last?” Athena asked Ares.

“It’s been good and bad. The company threw a curveball making the #1 contender bout a shoot instead of a work. I had to actually try and hurt my opponents which was a little scary. I didn’t realize so many girls hated me. I won in the end though, so silver linings.” Ares sighed.

“It’s not like them to suddenly make a work become a real bout. I smell something fishy backstage.” Athena grumbled.

“Shall we extend our stay to ensure nothing shady happens?” Mimeo suggested.

“I’m so lost right now…” Maria sighed.

“I’ll explain what the terms mean later. All you need to know for now is things are supposed to be to entertain the fans but they made it a real fight seemingly for no reason.” Mimeo explained.

“We’ll stay at least until the title match is over with.” Athena told them.

Night soon came and Mimeo woke Maria in the middle of the night. She motioned to be quiet and led her to the living room where Athena was waiting. Athena motioned to be quiet and led them out of the complex. Their trip took them through the city to the back entrance of Singing Battlers Incorporated. There Athena slashed the basement doors open.

“We’re breaking in?” Maria whispered.

“Luke’s second job is surveillance. He makes sure that no one can sneak on the ship. I got a report from him that Ares was headed here escorted by men in black.” Athena told them.

They entered and the inside was similar to a prison. There were screams of girls now and again unnerving Maria. Athena then turned to the two of them.

“You two look below, I’m looking above. Luke will arrive soon to give you backup.” Athena ordered.

Maria and Mimeo then began to descend. Six floors down machines on the wall came to life. Mimeo knew what she was doing spitting acid on them, but Maria’s swings were haphazard missing more than hitting. More began coming forcing them to have to fight their way further. Eventually they reached the bottom where a large red door blocked their path… along with a heavily armed mech.

“How are we supposed to fight that?!” Maria gasped taking a step back.

“Very carefully.” Luke’s voice spoke as he came skydiving down to slam a heavily armored leg into the mech’s energy source making it beep loudly.

He landed with perfect precision and then used only his legs to deal intense damage to the mech making exposed points for Maria and Mimeo to strike. With his help it went down faster than they’d expected.

“Excellent timing, Luke.” Mimeo sighed with relief.

“I’d say the captain is on the money with her being here. I ran into all kinds of opposition on my way here.” Luke nodded.

“How are his kicks so strong?” Maria asked Mimeo.

“He wears very specialized boots that save up his kinetic momentum as he walks around allowing him to let out devastating kicks in battle.” Mimeo explained.

Luke kicked the doors open and they found a quite literal prison area. There were several girls in wrestling gear chained up looking worse for wear. At the very back Ares was chained up looking to have been freshly harmed. Luke stomped the chains to dust getting her loose.

“Ares, have they been doing this to you regularly?” Mimeo asked her.

“They said… this is my reward for thinking I’m anything. These girls are all the champion’s previous contenders who ‘went missing’ before the match… barely fed enough to remain alive...” Ares explained.

“Looks like we’ve gone from pirates to crusaders.” Luke sighed before suddenly kicking the door off of one of the cells.

“Seems that way.” Mimeo giggled melting the bars of another.

“What can I do?” Maria asked while helping Ares stand.

“Make sure that Ares is okay. The captain is not going to be happy once she finds out they hurt her.” Luke answered carrying one girl on his back and another in his arms.

“Who’s going to protect the girls if you’re carrying them though? They’re too weak to do anything themselves.” Maria pointed out.

“I’ll fight… I owe them for making mom angry. I’m way stronger than I look...” Ares told her managing to stand steady.

“You’re hurt though…” Maria argued.

“No, no, trust me. Ares is a behemoth when she isn’t holding back. She can lift Judy, our helms bot, with no trouble at all.” Luke vouched for her.

“If you’re sure, but don’t push yourself.” Maria warned her.

“Don’t worry. I’m tough as nails, just like my mom.” she smiled through the pain.

The group began their exfiltration and almost instantly came under attack by odd people in tight bodysuits that even covered their faces wielding claws on their hands. Maria was starting to get used to Grimwald’s weight hitting her target more as Ares showed great speed and agility zipping in and out of danger zones delivering crippling body blows occasionally throwing in a suplex or uppercut. Her strength was definitely the real deal as foes that she dealt a move to rarely got back up. When they got to the surface it was starting to rain with faint thunder rumbling. Soon enough police sirens could be heard.

“Let’s take these girls to the police so they can get some help.” Mimeo suggested and Luke nodded.

The two hurries around to the front as Maria and Ares caught their breath. Everything seemed to be going smoothly… but the hairs on the back of Maria’s neck began to stand up after a few minutes. Ares rolled left as she whirled around to guard a pitch black katana coming down on her. It was being wielded by a man in all black clothing: boots, slightly loose pants, a shirt, an overcoat, a bandana hiding all but his eyes, and a hat that made a V shape. His katana had a fire red eyeball in the center of the hilt that noticeably lacked a guard. 

“Who are you?” Maria groaned as she tried to force him back, but he had far more strength than her holding firm.

“All that matters is you die.” he replied.

He dodged a roundhouse kick from Ares with a backward cartwheel before readying his blade. The mysterious man was lightning fast and held nothing back. A single swing from him was enough to knock Maria off balance when she tried to guard. The injuries he left were so finely made that they didn’t start to bleed until a few seconds after he delivered them. Maria was too inexperienced to land anything on him either and Ares’s attacks didn’t have much effect. 

“This is all Grimwald has to offer? Pathetic.” he scoffed as he slammed his blade on Grimwald cutting into the gemstone of the suppressor causing a cloud of purple and blood red aura to burst free knocking him to a wall.

The cloud came back down and raged into Maria making her scream in agony as a golden sphere with numerous pitch black chains wrapped around it enveloped her. There sphere eventually burst revealing Maria’s entire body had transformed. Her hair had turned black reaching the floor with six massive forward protruding horns on her head, her mouth had become canine-like with sharp teeth to match, her skin was a corpse-like shade of grey, her fingers had black claws instead of fingertips, and her eyes were a sickening green glow. Swaying very flexibly behind her was a very long thin tail with a mane of black hair going down to the tip where there were small blood red crystals in a spear-like formation. Maria’s legs had become canine-esque as well ripping her pants legs and shoes to pieces. Grimwald was exerting a bloodthirsty aura around her as she stepped toward the man.

“So now you take me seriously.” he huffed readying to fight again.

Maria moved faster than the eye could see startling the man as she began using both Grimwald and her free hand to attack with such force that she was wrecking the alley’s buildings and the ground. This monstrous form was the demonic transformation bestowed by Grimwald’s unleashed power. Each swing with Grimwald unleashed a massive blade of red energy that the mysterious man could barely guard.

After guarding the umpteenth swipe the man was sweeped off his feet by her tail that had snuck behind him while he focused on blocking lifting him into the air. She then began brutally slamming him against anything in the immediate area causing further damage to the alley. With the ruckus it wasn’t long before authorities came and gasped spotting the monster attack. The man dropped his weapon before being thrown by her tail out of the alley smashing into a police hover car denting the roof in. She let out a triumphant roar before the sphere encased her once more returning her to normal losing consciousness dropping Grimwald as its aura faded. When Maria came to she was back in her room aboard The Screaming Gale with Ares sitting at her bedside.

“What happened…? I feel like I’ve got a box on top of me...” Maria groaned.

“That’s recoil from using your demon form when you couldn’t handle the strain. You’ll recover with a bit of food and something to drink much faster than just resting.” Ares explained.

“Recoil…?” she questioned.

“Think of demon transformation like being pulled apart and then put back together again followed by a second round of it once you turn back. If your body and mind aren’t conditioned enough to handle strain like that then you’ll go berserk and suffer heavy recoil like in the alley.” Ares continued in detail.

“What happened to that man…?”

“He got away, but we got his sword so we know he’ll be back. It turns out whoever he was he didn’t realize that he had a demon sword too - Fafnir to be exact. Grimwald and Fafnir are in the top and middle tier of the demon swords respectively, possessing immense power output when at max strength.” she explained.

“How many total demon swords are there?” Maria asked her.

“Twelve. Each with a unique bearer and title. The top four are known as ‘Amakuni Blades’ and have the appearance of greatswords, the middle four are ‘Masamune Blades’ bearing the appearance of katana, and the bottom four are ‘Muramasa Blades’ that have pretty standard broadsword shapes. Grimwald’s full title is ‘Demon Sword Grimwald Muramasa, Bringer of Good Men’s Death’ if you want to be formal.” she answered.

“Food’s here.” Luke smiled as he wheeled in a cart loaded with food.

“All of that smells good…” Maria spoke as her mouth began watering.

“The chef will be happy to hear that.” he beamed.

“We weren’t sure how large your appetite would be, so we hope this can satiate your energy needs.” Ares smiled as Maria managed to sit up.

Maria’s stomach let out an uncharacteristically loud growl before she began digging in. She’d never felt so hungry before. In a short twenty minutes the cart was emptied of food and drink. Maria had a look of pure bliss on her face.

“Looks like it was just enough.” Luke chuckled.

“Oh yeah, what happened with the agency?” Maria asked.

“They’re done for. After a thorough investigation of the dungeon they busted open hundreds of missing wrestler cases - there’s no way in hell that they can avoid closing down. The champion along with the agency’s board were all arrested. So because of that Miss Ares will be coming with us into space.” Luke answered.

“Yep. It’s the Junior Intergalactic Circuit for me now. No contracts, no politics, no scripts, no kayfabe, compete as you like since it’s all tournament-based, and plenty of prize money and trophies to be won. It’s more dangerous than when it’s a work, but that makes it a little exciting if you ask me.” Ares beamed.

“What about your singing?” Maria tilted her head.

“Eh it’ll make my fans a little sad that I’m not an idol anymore, but I’m sure they’ll be able to rally behind me as a full-time wrestler.” she shrugged.

“Anyway, the boss is happy that you weren’t hurt. She’s replacing the limiter on Grimwald as we speak.” Luke told her.

“How long was I out?” she asked.

“About six hours. We’re already out of Archibold’s atmosphere. Our next stop is Planet Hymn to visit Delphinus.” Luke answered.

“ _ To see my relative…? _ ” she thought to herself.


End file.
